Property investment in Eastern England: Q&A with Shane Wallace

As part of our series introducing you to our regional BDMs, this week we are focusing on Shane Wallace, who is our BDM for Eastern England.

Shane works with intermediaries for all types of property investment, residential bridging, commercial bridging, auction finance, development finance and Buy-to-Let.

Here we learn more about his past in the industry as well as the challenges and opportunities he is seeing currently. 

How long have you been in the industry? 

I have worked in the finance industry for 14 years, starting my career as a mortgage advisor then moving to a commercial lender as a commercial mortgage manager. I then moved to LendInvest, where I have been for over two years.

When did you start working in/living in your region? 

I have lived here since childhood and worked here all my working life. 

What’s your favourite thing about the region?

It’s the mix between the rolling hills across the countryside and the miles of flat land of the Fens, as well as the many historic towns and vibrant cities. The region has some stunning coastline steeped in history. 

What are some of the challenges? 

There is a large disparity between areas within the region in regards to property prices and yields. 

This is reflected through the commuter areas of North London and Essex maintaining high values along with areas such as Cambridge and pockets on the Norfolk and Suffolk costs. 

These areas have higher prices however the yields are not always the most attractive, with areas such Nottingham and Doncaster attracting much higher returns due to lower prices. 

What are the opportunities in the region that you are seeing? 

We are seeing more building projects in the East of England through infill and expansion. We have national developers and a large number of small developers building 2- 10 houses. 

Rental demand is prominent across all sectors including the growing university cities and people looking to purchase further afield yet also within commuting distance of London.

While Essex housing market remains resilient as demand increases from London, you only have to go further afield to find much lower prices and higher yields, Peterborough, for example, being one of them which is 50 minutes into Kings Cross. 

If you want to contact Shane about your next property investment, you can connect with him on LinkedIn, call him on +44 (0)77 4165 6555 or email him: [email protected]. 

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